Bagatelle — Sponberg/Waters Fast Sloop

Bagatelle is an Eric Sponberg designed, Rick Waters built cold-molded, wood-epoxy constructed fast daysailer/racer with an on-deck arrangement and accommodations below to allow for lots of friends and family along for an afternoon’s romp, berthing space for the racing crew or a comfortable weekend (or longer) cruise. The Eric Sponberg design of Bagatelle (French for “a trifle”) was commissioned in 1997 and after construction she was launched in the summer of 2001. An avid racer, her owner wanted a lightweight boat that could plane in under 20 knots of wind, point really well and sail fast upwind, yet still look like it belongs in good company sitting next to a Concordia yawl—in his words, “a modern classic.” Specific features include: very lightweight construction (Douglas fir veneers over western red cedar strip-planking); chined hull form in the stern sections for planing; lifting keel for easy trailerability; B&R rig (no backstay, triple spreaders) for high lift, large sail area, and high speed; and water ballast. Bagatelle’s hull is partially chined with wide, flat after sections and very narrow bow sections. The chine is very pronounced back aft and blends into the bow and disappears forward of the keel. Bagatelle has standing headroom under the coach roof and sitting headroom forward of that. The design draws lots of compliments from the public, in part from its long, sleek look but also from its performance on the water and racecourse either cruising, day sailing or racing.

Interior Layout and Accommodations

• Bagatelle has an interior well suited to the boats purpose of being an easy to sail day boat but also a fast race boat with
• enough in the way of accommodations to house and feed the racing crew in relative comfort either at the end of a
• coastal day race or overnight for longer more offshore events.
• All the necessities for guests or the on-deck watch (head, galley and navigation station) are located within easy reach to
• port and starboard of the companionway.
• Further forward is the main saloon with settee seating / berthing to port and starboard and a drop leaf table on
• centerline. If needed there is an additional berth that can be set-up above and slightly outboard of the port settee.
• There are two more pipe berths in the forward cabin that also is used for headsail and spinnaker storage during racing.

Hull and Deck Construction

• Light weight displacement hull with fin / bulb type keel and balanced spade rudder.
• Keel is comprised of stainless-steel fin with lead ballast bulb, stainless steel trim tab and internal dagger board for
• improved upwind performance.
• Rudder is of carbon fiber construction with carbon fiber rudder stock.
• Hull is of cold-molded, wood-epoxy construction strip planked with 5/8” tongue and grove western red cedar and 2-
• layers of 1/8” Spanish Cedar laid over Mahogany ring frames spaced on 4’ centers.
• Hull exterior is sheathed in 1-layer of 10 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and finished with an Awlgrip paint outer
• surface.
• Hull interior is sealed in epoxy.
• Decks and superstructure are constructed of a sandwich construction of marine plywood with Corecell foam core
• material. Exterior deck is sheathed in 1-layer of 10 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy.
• Deck and super structure areas are finished with an Awlgrip finish outer surface over-laid with faux teak decking on the
• side and forward decks along with natural teak non-skid strips on the cockpit seating and underfoot in the cockpit and
• on swim platform / transom.
• An interior wooden I-beam runs the length of the boat providing an attachment point for all ring frames, stringers and
• floors with all of the above mentioned sealed in epoxy.
• The deckhouse and cockpit are a foam cored fiberglass fabrication thru bolted to the deck carlins. The deck house has an
• overlay of 1/4”mahogany, finished bright. The deck house windows are polycarbonate except for the forward center
• which is a 24” Lewmar opening hatch.

Water Ballast System

• Water ballast tanks are installed under the side decks outboard.
• Tanks are connected by large diameter PVC piping.
• High-capacity pump quickly moves water ballast from side to side.
• A high-capacity electric pump fills the ballast tank on starboard tack and gravity moves the water to the other side just
• before the tack. This process takes 20 seconds. The ballast tank is emptied while on starboard tack by gravity or high-
• capacity electric pump.

Hull and Deck Finishes

• Topsides are an Awlgrip finish
• Topsides are Aqua Mist White
• Boot and Cove Stripes are Forest Green
• Decks, cockpit and house superstructure are Aqua Mist White
• Cabin sides and cockpit comings are varnished Mahogany
• Bottom is coated with a very smooth coat of Black Widow anti-fouling paint.

Deck, Cockpit and Cabin Top Hardware and Features

• Stainless steel bow rail
• Stainless steel life line stanchions
• Double coated wire life lines port and starboard
• Toe rails / bulwarks running full length port and starboard with varnished Mahogany cap rails
• Bow cleats port an starboard
• Self-bailing anchor / ground tackle locker forward
• Lewmar opening hatches (3ea.) on foredeck
• Self-tacking jib sheet traveler
• Bronze mast partners
• Stainless steel mast partners
• Lewmar opening hatch / window on forward face of cabin house
• Lewmar opening hatches (4ea) on cabin top
• Stainless steek chainplates port and starboard
• Sail tracks on tops of cap rail, inboard side decks and cabin top ( 20, 15, 10 degree sheeting angle for close reaching code
• zero) Additional sail track further aft on cap rail for regular code zero
• Varnished Mahogany handrails on cabin top port and starboard
• Companionway hatch with varnished Mahogany trim
• Large storage lockers in cockpit
• Stainless steel stern quarter rails with gate opening aft
• Stainless steel boarding / swim ladder with teak treads

Spars and Rigging

• Fractionally rigged, triple spreader sloop configuration
• Bergstrom Rigging design with highly swept-spreader angles and diamond stays
• Forte Carbon carbon fiber mast painted Tan Awlgrip
• Navtec stainless steel rod standing rigging with stainless steel turnbuckle adjusters
• Mast fitted with Antal main sail track
• Composite Engineering aluminum boom painted Tan AwlGrip

Sails and Canvas

• Main Sail 1: Farrar Sailmakers Diax laminate with taffeta on both sides, extreme square head, full battens, one reef, 5
• years
• Main Sail 2:Jasper & Bailey, Woven Spectra, small square head, full battens 2 reefs, 10 years old but not used in the last
• 5 years
• Jib 1: Farrar Sailmakers DPI Carbon GP with lite skin 2 years
• Jib 2: Farrrar Sailmakers Carbon/kevlar laminate, vertical battens, 7 years
• Jib 3: Jasper & Bailey Dacron jib, 10 years
• Code Zero 1: North stormlite, 20 years old
• Code Zero 2:Farrar polymax. 4 years old, white, extremely close winded
• Code One 1:North polyester, white, 20 years old, close winded reaching spinnaker
• Code One 2: Farrar Sailmakers polyester, 5 years, deep runner
• Code Two 1: Farrar Sailmkers nylon, green and gray, 5 years
• Fractional AP Spinnaker: Jasper & Bailey, polyester, 18 years old, little use

Sail Trim and Sail Handling Equipment

• Profurl roller furling headstay
• Lewmar self-tacking jib track / traveler
• Lewmar headsail sheet tracks on bulwarks, side decks and cabin top
• Lewmar mainsheet traveler
• Lewmar rope vang
• All adjustable cars, fixed and moving blocks by Lewmar
• Boom rigged for double reefing
• All winches by Harken
• Harken #16 (3 each) at mast for halyards and reefing
• Harken #40 2-speed, self-tailing in cockpit (2each)
• Harken # 32 2-speed, self-tailing in cockpit (2each)
• Harken # 42 2-speed self-tailing in cockpit (1each)
• Harken #44 Electric 2-speed, self-tailing in cockpit (1each)

Auxiliary Propulsion and Fuel Systems

• Engine: Yanmar, 3GM30F, 3-cylinder, 30HP diesel
• Saildrive SD-20 drive unit with 3-bladed Max-prop
• Yanmar ignition panel with tachometer and engine status gauges
• Single lever throttle and transmission control lever
• Flexible exhaust hose with Vetus water-lift type muffler and vented loop
• 12 Gallon polyethylene fuel tank
• Yamaha fuel / water separator type primary fuel filter
• Fuel shut-off at primary fuel filter

Steering System

• Balanced spade carbon fiber rudder with carbon fiber rudder stock
• Harken rudder bearing
• Tiller steering
• Keel trim-tab for increased upwind performance

Electrical Systems

• 12-Volt system
• Separate battery banks for engine start and house electrical systems
• House Batteries: Group 24 wet cell batteries (2ea) in sealed battery containment box
• Starting Battery: Group 24 wet cell battery (1ea) in sealed containment box
• Paneltronics 12 Volt dc panel with main service switch, voltage gauge and 12 individual circuits
• Heart Interface battery monitor
• Battery charging by engine alternator

Plumbing and Sanitation Systems

• 25 Gallon freshwater capacity
• Bladder type tank located under port settee
• Manually (foot pump) supplied cold water only
• Sink basins in galley and head
• Lavac manually operated marine toilet / MSD
• MSD plumbed by means of Y-valve for direct overboard discharge or discharge to holding tank
• 10 Gallon holding tank
• Holding tank plumbed by mean of y-valve for discharge to shore-side pump-out facility or pumped overboard when
• offshore at proper distances.

Electronics and Navigational Equipment

• Ritchie 4” helm compasses (2each)
• Nexus Multi GPS / Chartplotter
• Nexus Multi sailing instruments with multi-function displays at companionway, aft cabin bulkhead and helm stations
• Standard Horizon VHF radio with DSC
• Sony tuner / CD player.

Ground Tackle Equipment

• 36 lb. Bruce anchor with appropriate chain and rode
• Fluke anchor with appropriate chain and rode.

Dewatering Equipment

• All bilge pumps manual and auto

Safety and Required Equipment

• Marpol and Oil Discharge placards
• Handheld horn
• Type III PFD’s (5 each)
• Type IV throwable PFD’s (4ea)
• Life ring (1 each)

Additional Equipment

• Spare Composite Engineering carbon fiber mast painted Tan AwlGrip